Below are some letters that we have received from
supporters of our bills. Some of the letters have been
abbreviated and/or corrected for spelling, and letters
without a name or location have been posted anonymously
at the request of the writer.

If you would like to
tell us about your experience with circumcision, please email
us at
comments@mgmbill.org. Unless you are a government
official such as a congressperson or state legislator, we won't post your comments or
your name and location without receiving your written
permission first.

February 2, 2015

I am a relative newcomer to
this issue but not to its effects. I was circumcised as
a neonate without having been asked for my consent and
without my having given it. I was well into my 50s
before I grasped, thanks to internet discussions about
MGM and its role in decreased sexual response, that
sexual intercourse is supposed to be physically
pleasurable for the male.

For me, it isn't. Forced MGM
ruined my sex life and has deprived me of my birthright
to experience and enjoy sex as nature intended that I
should. Once I realized the magnitude of the violence
that was done to me and the magnitude of the violation
of my basic human rights that was committed against me,
I resolved to do whatever I could to oppose and to bring
to an end the monstrous wrong of routine, forced infant
male circumcision (MGM).

David B.

Binghamton, NY

August 28, 2013

What makes me or anyone else
the decider on how much penis someone else is going to
be allowed to keep? Children are circumcised because
they are helpless and can't say no. You are not free if
you can't say no. The doctors can say no. The parents
can say no. The one who can't say no is the one who is
being needlessly and forcefully circumcised. The one
whose freedom and rights are being taken away is the one
who is not being given the choice to say no. Being free
is about having a choice to say no.

We don't force this upon
adults because there is a big difference between an
adult and a helpless little child. We force this upon
infants and children because their defenselessness can
be taken advantage of.

Trisha Darner

Grants Pass, OR

May 25, 2011

I fully agree with the
end of circumcision, it is barbaric and not needed. As a
European male I have not been circumcised and if I had
male child would never consider ever putting a child
through that. I know a lot of men who are ashamed that
they were circumcised.

Kenneth Bradshaw

San Diego, CA

January 4, 2011

When I was pregnant with
my baby boy I researched circumcision, and after finding
out there was no medical reason for it, decided to keep
my son intact reasoning that it was simply not my
decision to make, I didn't understand that there was any
harm in doing it, though, I just wasn't going to bother
with it for my son if there wasn't a medical reason.
After that I pretty much stopped thinking about the
issue. Being interested in attachment parenting, I
joined the "Peaceful Parenting"
Facebook group. In addition to promoting the usual
attachment parenting issues, the group takes a very
strong stance against circumcision. It was through this
group's posts on circumcision that I learned that it was
more than just a procedure that wasn't medically
necessary, it was painful, traumatic, and dangerous and
could even result in death and it diminishes sexual
pleasure for both the boy and his future partner. I
finally realized that the circumcision of children is a
human rights violation, and want to do all I can to see
that it is stopped.

Ashley Burgherr

Takoma Park, MD

December 21, 2010

I commend you for the important work you're doing.

It's mind boggling that we debate the "benefits and
risks of circumcision". Do we have to be told not to cut
off normal healthy functioning parts of our body? Do we
really have to have it explained to us why cutting off a
normal healthy functioning part of another person's
body when he is unable to consent to it is wrong? We're
under a spell. Things that are obvious to primitive man
and even wild animals, are hard for us to understand.

And yes it is a huge double standard that baby boys are not
given the same consideration as baby girls in the US. In
northeast Africa female circumcision is almost
universal. Yet, everybody there thinks it's a wonderful
thing. They're under a spell, the same as we are under a
spell in the US concerning the routine circumcision of
boys. Different? Yes, the complete removal of the
clitoris and infibulation in unsanitary conditions is
more brutal and damaging. But, in the US however, it's
illegal to mutilate a female in any way whatsoever.That includes less invasive types of
female genital mutilation which are less damaging than
what we do to our males. It's a blatant double standard.

Archaic customs like this have an effect on the mind
similar to the inertia of a moving body. So many people
have been blinded by it for so long that we can't stop
and get off. We're too blind to see the obvious. We
don't want our little boy to have a funny penis. How
about if we were all just normal instead of finding
comfort in the fact that we all have the same freakish
mutilated penis?

Another thing that's mind boggling is when these things
are done in the name of religion, which makes it even
more asinine than it already is. This is done by people
that claim to believe in an intelligent God that created
the body, yet they disagree with how he accomplishes his
work and somehow feel that they need to go back and make
corrections. Freedom of religion needs to stop when it
violates the rights of another individual. The same goes
for parents' rights.

Circumcision is a disgrace to the human race and one of
the most asinine and useless customs the US has ever
adopted.

Michael Null

Columbus, Ohio

November 11, 2010

I applaud your efforts
and support you 100%. The irony is that when the news of
this bill in California was announced on television, the
arguments from parents against the bill were, what
happened to "our choice" and "our freedom". And choice
and freedom are exactly the point! This bill seeks to
protect the freedom of choice of the child for their own
body.

When my son was born 30
years ago, I was very much on the fence about
circumcision, and I made the wrong decision. I asked the
surgeon what his opinion was, and even he was uncertain.
We shouted back and forth at each other with indecision.
So, I opted for a partial circumcision. A very stupid
"choice" that I will forever regret.

In the end it's all
mutilation, male and female. In the Western United
States, circumcision is 30% or less, and in Europe, 20%
or less. It's all primitive - let them decide for
themselves.

Thank you. I support you
100%.

Anne Stuart

Livermore, CA

February 17, 2010

My name is Clara Franco
and I am Mexican. I cannot point to a single reason that
made me engage in this subject, but watching Penn and
Teller´s documentary on it, which I found on the Web a
couple of years ago, was an important start. Yet this
film cannot fully explain the passion that I now feel
for intactivism, or the growing rage I feel every time I
hear that yet another baby boy has been strapped to a
board to have the most sensitive part of his genitals
cut away, most of the times with no anesthetics.

Circumcision in Mexico is
much less common than in the U.S.A. Yet it does exist,
and is practiced among upper classes in large cities,
especially Mexico City. And even if it´s less common,
it´s still seen as a quite normal, beneficial procedure
that does not really affect a man. Many still believe
that it is painless for an infant. Private insurers
cover it; luckily, governmental health care cannot
afford to. But this problem can only be solved through
education: people must realize that circumcision is
harmful, and a violation of Human Rights in the case of
minors. Therefore Mexico Intacto, the information point
that I have created in my country, wants to fully
support the MGM Bill and urges the American people to
support it. In an increasingly seamless world, whatever
happens in countries like the U.S.A will have an
influence upon the entire world. It is everyone´s duty
to fight for Human Rights.

I am involved with
circumcision due to what I have witnessed as a
registered nurse. As a health care professional and
mother of two healthy intact boys, I want to help
educate America about the truth of circumcision, and
protect boys from unnecessary genital cutting. This is a
human rights issue to me.

In fact I was a supporter
of Amnesty Intl for many years until I learned that they
oppose only female genital mutilation, but still decline
to take a stance against MGM.

Anje Cassel, RN, BSN

Raphine, VA

January 6, 2010

I became involved in the fight against circumcision
years ago. My 1st child, a boy almost 14, was left
intact because I felt that was the right thing to do.
Years later I began researching and educating myself on
the issue after my oldest experienced some problems (now
I know due to forcible retraction as an infant). My
other son is also intact and any future boys will be as
well. I work to spread the message that all children,
male & female, deserve the same rights to genital
integrity.

Jennifer Coulter

Shelton, Washington

January 5, 2010

I first became involved in
the intactivist movement 15 years ago when apprenticing
with an experienced human sexuality professor. It was
there that my eyes were opened to the horrors of
circumcision while studying the impact this amputation
has on human development and sexual health. After
completing M.A. work in Clinical Psychology (emphasis in
Human Sexuality) I began working with clients who were
often diagnosed as having sexual 'dysfunctions'. More
often than not, circumcision was to blame (for both men
and women). It is true - you cannot change the form of
the human body without also altering function. I went
back to graduate school to become better versed in this
subject, certain there was much more to learn. After
conducting research on sexual health education in
medical schools, we discovered that complete and
accurate information surrounding the prepuce organ and
circumcision is virtually nonexistent in U.S. medical
schools today. It is no wonder that American parents are
poorly informed on this subject - even our physicians do
not receive adequate, up-to-date training in areas of
human sexuality. I eventually moved into doctoral work
in human development and sexuality, and began to work
more directly with parents. My current research involves
the impact that male circumcision has on neonatal
breastfeeding, attachment, development and
socialization, as well as its impact on women's sexual
health.

My husband, personally
impacted by circumcision, joined the cause after
listening (day in and day out) to my own research during
graduate schools, and in preparation for his future
(intact) sons -- the first boys born in 3 generations of
his family to remain perfectly intact.

D.F.

Waldorf, Maryland

January 3, 2010

I have no sons, but was
researching the issue of circumcision before I knew
the sex of my second child. I came across an article
that opened my eyes to the fallacies perpetuated by
the medical community, and led me to delve deeper
into this disturbing issue. I watched a video of a
circumcision being done and was sick to my stomach,
but most of all, I was sick to my heart. I wanted to
pick up the baby in the video and hold him close; I
wanted to sacrifice some part of my grown body for
his relief. I wanted to give my nephew an extra hug,
and whisper in his ear that had I known any better,
I would have tried to tell his mother otherwise. I
wanted to apologize to him for not being informed
and for not standing up for him. Instead, I held my
infant daughter and cried into her jammies.

I want to stop this
barbaric procedure from needlessly happening to
innocent children who come in to this world
deserving comfort, love, and support but are instead
met with intolerable pain and cruelty.

Ava Davis

Newberg, OR

October 15, 2008

Like most American males born in the ‘60s, I was
circumcised as an infant. In fact, my mom was an
RN, as well. I don’t blame her; I blame the
medical establishment’s ignorance and blind
promotion of this useless procedure. I have
begun foreskin restoration as an effort to help
repair some of the psychological damage and
sense of physical mutilation.

Michael S.

Columbia, SC

July 18, 2008

As a registered nurse,
medical ethics and issues of informed consent are of
paramount importance to myself and others in my
profession. I first became aware of the human rights
violations that circumcising people without their
consent entails when I was a teenager and learned of the
story of Waris Darie, an African victim of female
genital mutilation. I was incensed and horrified that
any culture would mutilate the genitals of their girls
because of custom. I quickly realized that people in my
own culture mutilate the genitals of their boys because
of custom.

People have mistakenly come
to believe that parents have the right to cut healthy
body parts off of their children. I am ashamed that my
peers inflict needless suffering upon babies who have
not consented to cosmetic surgery. The time has come to
put this social custom to rest, and to give boys the
same right to genital integrity that girls currently
have.

Nanda M, R.N.

Fresno, CA

March 20, 2008

When I had my son, I
hadn't researched circumcision, but when the doctor
asked me if I wanted it done, I instinctively said I
thought it was better to leave my son alone. Now, 14
years later, I'm glad I made the right decision. Several
years later, I came across a study linking aggressive
behavior to circumcision, and that's when I started to
do my own research. The more I learned, the more I
couldn't understand how doctors, who have pledged to "do
no harm", can continue to perform this mutilation on
unconsenting patients.

I'm expecting again now,
and in talking to other expectant mothers, it's alarming
how much misinformation is out there. People still think
that circumcision has significant health benefits and
that there is no function to the parts of the penis
removed. Most troubling is the idea that this is a
"personal choice" belonging to the parents, rather than
to the owner of the body whose parts are being
permanently altered. I sincerely hope that someone in
Congress will step forward to sponsor this important
legislation, and that others will vote for and support
genital integrity of all our children, not just our
girls.

Katherine Berland
Columbia, MD

February 8, 2007

I
literally imagine and hope that one day people will
look back in time and not believe their ears when
they hear that male circumcision was actually
something people did in this country.

Shauna
Schoenborn

Steelville, Missouri

September 19, 2006

I am a
premed student just a few years away from being a
practicing doctor. And I know that I may face
overwhelming pressure to circumcise, but being armed
with the truth will give me the backbone to not give
in.

It
brings great hope that there are other people who
are working hard to stop this horrible practice. I
feel like I am not alone in this, and I have
submitted the bill to my state senators and
congressmen.

Arthur
Coons

Snohomish, Washington

September 6, 2006

When my spouse and I decided to try to have a
baby, I knew for ethical reasons alone that I would
never want anyone harming that child's genitals. I
am hopeful that the frequent mentioning of the human
rights violations of altering healthy children's
genitalia will eventually lead to the end of this
cruel practice. If legislators have to defend their
opposition to the MGM bill, then perhaps this will
encourage them to realize that their defense is
weak...especially since girls are protected from
FGM.

Erica Fuchs

Ames, Iowa

March
30, 2006

I have for several years indulged myself in a weekly
massage. At one of these sessions, I noted a deep pain
in my genital area, and my hands involuntarily moved to
protect myself. I began to cry and was very disturbed.
The session soon ended, and when the massage therapist
and I spoke of what had happened, I was questioned about
any memories of childhood abuse or injury in my genital
area. The possibility was raised of circumcision being
the source of my remembered pain.

I denied any knowledge or recognition of pain relating
to my circumcision. I grew up in a middle class Jewish
home with a large extended family, and ritual
circumcision (brit [or bris] milah) was a common family
event. Later, in medical school, I saw and even
participated in circumcisions. I simply could not accept
the fact that a profound trauma locked in my body and
brain had been released by this therapy.

Five days later, while on a bicycle trip, my wife and I
stopped at a coffee shop. There were some dog-eared
books for sale on a table in a corner of the shop. My
eyes were drawn to one entitled
Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective. Its
message resonated deeply within my body, and I was
shaken to the core.

I can only describe the next few months as a period of
intense anxiety and mourning for my lost foreskin. My
sexual experiences in life had been so very important to
me, and I now felt cheated, robbed of sensations that I
would never know. Raging anger and uncontrolled sobbing
were daily occurrences. After some time, these emotions
came into control and have been helpful to me in my
evolving role as an Intactivist.

I was very badly circumcised
shortly after birth. Even after a
five year process of "restoring" my
foreskin, I had difficulties due to
my original overly-aggressive
circumcision. I despise this brutal
act being performed on anyone under
18 years old. However, I do not have
any issues with someone, as a
consenting adult, to have a
circumcision performed.

I can only imagine how much
different my life would have been if
they had left me alone and intact. I
would like to be more involved with
the federal MGM Bill, and am willing
to share my story with whomever
needs to hear it in order to
convince them that this law
needs
to be enacted.

Chaz Antonelli

Boston, Massachusetts

January 8, 2006

When I was younger I used to wish I'd been born in
America. Then I learned about circumcision.

I'm glad I was born in Scotland now.

David Mackenzie

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

December
3, 2005

Tears came to my eyes as I just found your
website. I would give ANYTHING if I would have had
this information on November 15, 1976. Because on
that day a young, uninformed mother gave her son to
be circumcised. I will never, as long as I live,
forget the horror of pulling that diaper back and
seeing what had been done to my innocent baby. 29
years later I still am sickened at the thought that,
as a grandmother, I could not convince my son not to
have his son cut last year.

I still think about that day, about how my
innocent baby suffered because of my own ignorance.
It is a horrible, disfiguring act, fueled purely by
money for the medical community, and by ignorance of
parents who just don't get it.

Debra Rowlands

Sparta, Tennessee

July
15, 2005

My main
motivation for supporting this bill is that
my girlfriend is Jewish and wants to have
our children circumcised in the covenant
with God. As part of my research, I learned
about the brutality of this practice and
decided that I could not justify cutting my
son. I pray that Congress has the resolve to
pass this bill into law and protect my
children from the mutilation Judaism forces
on boys.

Michael

Albany, New
York

February
19, 2005

I am the
mother of two teenagers who viewed the
PowerPoint presentations in your multimedia
page. I viewed the second one first
(Safiyah) and was confused about what I
should be angry about. Then I ingested the
first PowerPoint (The Time is Now). Anger
has been building in me, and I am going to
send your web address to everyone I know.

My son was
born in 1990 and was circumcised. I did not
research it. My father impressed upon me
that it was wrong, but gave no reasons. My
husband was in favor of the circumcision --
he was, so his son should be. I engaged in
conversation with my doctor, and he stated
that it was easier for boys to 'fit in' if
they are like other boys. He did not give
any information of risks or what it would be
taking away from my son. My doctor told me
it would be easier to keep clean and
decrease risks of infection
that may occur under the folds of
skin. Knowledge brings educated
choices, with education this mutilation
would not have existed in my son's life. I
am very angry at the system, the doctors,
and the ignorance within our society of this
matter.

Rhonda Knepple

Columbia City, Indiana

February
13, 2005

I was mutilated as an infant and because of that I want
you to know that I am behind your bill to end the gender
discrimination in the current genital mutilation law
that is now on the books. Certainly it is a terrible
thing for any girl to undergo FGM and your amendment
does not weaken that in any way, but I fail to
understand how it is tolerated when it comes to males.

I suspect that legislators realized that they had a
“win-win” situation on their hands in supporting an FGM
bill because there is definitely a much smaller base of
circumcisers of females in this country than there is of
male circumcisers. You can say that you supported a
child protection bill, and not lose much support from
your constituency. If you leave it at female protection
only, you look good to all, and offend very few. I
really want a bill that is truly gender neutral.

Thank you,

John Soemer

Flanders, New Jersey

February 3, 2005

I was mutilated as an
infant and though I know I'll never get to
experience being whole, I want to help ensure that
future generations can have what was stolen from
me. I want to help so that nobody else has to go
through the anguish that I did.

Jeremy Boyle

Indianapolis, Indiana

January 28, 2005

Thank you for proposing this
much needed bill.

I have suffered all of my 61
years because of a botched infant circumcision. The
physical and emotional pain have nearly ruined my life,
yet there's been very little that any urologist has been
able to do for me.

Thank you for your
letter to The Kansas City
Star on 8/17. I am expecting a son this November and
have been researching male circumcision. I agree that it
is male genital mutilation, but as I called local
pediatricians, I was told that they regularly circumcise
99% of male newborns. I am still looking for a pediatric
group that does not promote the practice.

Thanks for the information
to help me refute the "everybody does it" mentality, or
the people who say "he should look like Daddy." Your
website is very informative. Good luck on your bill.

Victoria Calhoun
Lenexa, Kansas

March 17, 2004

I
applaud your efforts to get a bill into congress to end
male circumcision. I wanted to relate my story in hopes
of convincing you to propose another bill if this one
should not be sponsored. I had my infant son
circumcised 2 days ago. No one explained the procedure
in detail to me. I was told he would be numbed and it
wouldn't be painful. I didn't understand the function
of the foreskin entirely and thought that the procedure
would be a fast, painless removal of a loose flap of
skin for the benefit of his personal hygiene and social
acceptance. My doctor knew that I was torn over whether
to have this procedure done or not, mainly leaning
towards doing it only because my husband thought we
should for sanitary reasons. She gave me the pros and
cons of doing it and not doing it, but never explained
the procedure in detail to me. I chose to go ahead with
it because I thought it was best for him. My husband
and I never would've chosen to do this had we known
how traumatic it would be and how badly our child would
suffer.

I
watched in horror as they forcibly separated the
foreskin from my son's tiny penis and then inserted a
large plastic "bell" into the wound area. At first, my
son didn't seem to notice, but as the procedure
continued he reacted with obvious pain. The doctors
maintain that he only felt "pressure" because lidocaine
is an effective analgesic. I have had lidocaine myself
for various procedures and have frequently had to
receive additional shots because it wasn't as effective
for me as it should've been. I later pointed this out
to a doctor from my pediatrician's office who was trying
to convince me that the procedure had not been as
painful for my son as I thought. She agreed that it's
possible the analgesic wasn't totally effective.

I'm
completely outraged at being so misled. A friend of
mine who had her son circumcised also agreed that her
son experienced pain during the procedure. According to
her "he spit his pacifier 3 feet across the room!" Male
circumcision is such a controversial topic, that I fear
that no one will have the fortitude to step up and
sponsor your MGM bill. Should this happen, I would like
to urge you to submit a bill requiring doctors to
provide more detailed literature, videos and verbal
information to parents considering circumcision. They
should give parents accurate information about the
function and sensory makeup of the foreskin. Doctors
should also be required to advise parents that pain
medication may not be 100% effective for all children
and there is a chance their son could feel significant
pain during the procedure. Lastly, accurate information
should be provided to parents about how many other
parents are choosing NOT to circumcise their babies, to
assure them that their child will not be considered so
"different" by society.

I
cannot tell you how much I regret having this done to my
baby. I sobbed and sobbed as I watched my son suffer,
helpless to stop the procedure once it began. I cried
that whole day, part of the night, and most of the next
day... every time I looked at the sweet, innocent little
child who expected me to protect him. I feel like I
failed him, failed as a parent to be informed and make
the right decision for him. I will regret the rest of
my life not picking him up and walking out of that
room. I will always regret not spending 5 minutes
researching the procedure on the Internet myself since
my doctor didn't give me all the facts. I will forever
be angry that I was deceived by the medical community
and other parents who assured me it was "no big deal."

We may
not be able to get congress to ban this procedure, but
at least we can make sure parents are given ACCURATE
information about MGM before deciding to have this
done. I strongly believe if more people knew the truth,
they would choose not to do this to their children. I
will live every day with the guilt of having made the
wrong choice for my son. I have finally gotten to the
point where I can look into his eyes without crying. I
can now change his diaper without bursting into tears.
But I'll never get over this. I'm not exaggerating when
I tell you that the day I had him circumcised was the
second worst day of my life. It's superseded only by
the day my father and brother died in a car accident.
That is honestly how devastating this has been for me.
Please help me stop this from happening to other parents
and innocent children!!!

and in a
follow-up letter on 3/18/2004:

I'm in
Anchorage, AK where my pediatrician advised me that
approximately 90% of the parents in her practice choose
circumcision. I'd also like to add that in addition to
my own naivety about the foreskin, my mother (a
registered nurse for over 30 years) also was unaware
that it would have to be forcibly separated from the
penis.

I
totally agree with your point that boys should be given
the same protection as girls. Had I known the full
extent of the procedure I never would have had it done.
The first thing I said to my mother after we left the
doctor's office (in tears) is that I can't believe it's
legal to have this done to a child. I will be
forwarding my letter to my congressman as well.

Sincerely,

Sandra
Aldrich

Anchorage, Alaska

March 17, 2004

I am
the mother of 2 circumcised sons. Before the birth of
my sons I tried to talk to my husband about the topic.
He listened, ignored me, and said "it is getting done
and that is the end of it." Both times he won and my
sons and I lost. The amount of guilt I feel for not
being able to stick up for their rights better is
tremendous. My sweet little babies were taken from my
warm arms, tied down, and torn apart. They were the
"lucky" ones. They had pain relief. It still didn't
make me feel any better. My husband said after one long
one sided talk "Don't worry, they'll thank me someday".
The last words I said to him that day were "Trust me ...
They will NEVER thank you for that". I feel it has
ruined my once happy relationship with my husband. I
carry the guilt around in my heart with the love for my
children. After our second son was home he admitted
that he didn't even bother to research it like I asked
him to. He simply thought I was being ridiculous. He
said it is something that was always done and should
still be done. After many long talks he finally has
admitted that he thinks I was right. Too late for my
babies . Mothers know that this is wrong. Ignore your
husband’s demands and go with the feeling in your
heart. Your sons will thank you someday, your heart
will remain unbroken, and the only tears you will shed
for your son will be on his first day of kindergarten.

I would
like to help out anyway that I can with your cause. I
wrote a letter to
Rob Andrews asking him to support this bill. I
think that more education is needed on this topic. The
formula companies have no trouble getting mailing lists
of pregnant women. If we could get a hold of mailing
lists we could send out educational materials to
expectant mothers. If parents knew what circumcision
was they would never choose it for their children.
Unfortunately since the ob/gyn does the circumcision
(clearly out of scope of practice... how can someone who
practices female medicine legally remove skin off of a
penis! You don't see dentists doing open heart
surgery!), there is little or no counseling done before
the parents make the decision. More negative
advertisements from the media would also help along with
billboards along the roadways. I sincerely hope that
this bill is only a few years away. If circumcision
were illegal baby boys would enjoy the same peaceful
beginning as girls.

Mary

New
Jersey

December 5, 2003

I didn't realize what circumcision had done
to me until this year at age 28. When I was six years
old I made a horrible discovery that I was missing part
of my penis. That someone had cut off part of my penis
and scarred me down there. My mother laughed at the idea
I could be upset by this and repeated outdated myths of
hygiene and tradition. Since then I have been against
circumcision of minors. Since then I have suffered in
silence alone.

This year for reasons I cannot recall I did a simple
Yahoo search on circumcision. What I found continues to
dominate my thoughts at all hours. I had been
brainwashed to believe it was for my own good, which I
never accepted, but I had been duped into believing it
was just extra skin. How would I know? I was never
allowed to know my own body. From the age of 24 hours
someone else NOT ME decided for no valid reason that I
should be disfigured, scarred and censored from normal
sexual experience for life. How could anyone allow this
to continue when even our own U.S. medical societies and
organizations admit it is unnecessary for health? What
about religion? Who can predict the religion of a child?
My freedom of religion was amputated as well.

Every day of my life in the bathroom, in the shower,
in the bedroom, abstinent or sexually active I have
been/am forced to deal with what was done to me. I
cannot escape its effects. Effects I didn't choose and
as an adult with any sense would never consent to. Where
was my protection then? Where is my justice now?